Speedometer alarm



Sept. 26, 1944. J. R. BAYSTON SPEEDOMETER ALARM Filed 001:. 24, 1942 7 INVENTOR. I Jmjifi az aw Patented Sept. 26, 1944 SPEEDOLIETER ALARM John R. Bayston, Chicago, Ill., assignor to himself, William F. Ross, and Elsie Bernadene Bayston Application October 24, 1942, Serial No. 463,161

1 Claim.

All current motor driven vehicles such as automobiles are initially provided, as standard equipment, with a well-known speedometer, generally mounted on an instrument panel. These speedometers are provided with a female screwthreaded socket into which is screwed the male socket of the tube surrounding the speedometer cable. The cable is, in turn, provided with a gear on its opposite end which is driven by one of the ground wheels of the machine.

In most jurisdictions for many years there obtained a speed limit for motor driven vehicles. At the present time, owing to the present war conditions, the speed limit is fixed generally throughout the country at 35 miles per hour. As most operators of automobiles have been accustomed to driving at a far greater speed, it is difiicult for the average driver to hold his speed down consistently to such limits without constantly watching the speedometer on the panel board, which does not make for safe driving, as a result of which there is taking place a general, and in most cases, innocent violation of the 35 mile per hour speed limit. In many zones, such violations have resulted in extensive apprehensions and impositions of fines by the authorities. To insure against'such unintentional violations, speed governors have been and are being offered and applied to cars, but these have various objections in that they are quite expensive; they require skilled hands for installation; and they call for the reorganization and modification of already existing parts. A further serious objection to such governors is that when one is applied and set at a limit of 35 miles er hour, they prove to be a serious handicap under certain situations, particularly where the driver of the car finds it necessary to extricate himself from a traffic situation to avoid accidents and danger by momentarily and instantly driving his car at a much greater speed. Therefore, it is an object of my invention to provide a small, light, self-contained unit in combination with the speedometer and its cable which will set up a pronounced signal when the machine has reached its predetermined speed and definitely warn the operator that he has reached that speed without the necessity of his watching the speedometer and which will, at the same time, leave the operator free momentarily and instantly to intentionally reach a higher speed for the purpose of extricating himself from embarrassing traffic conditions.

It is a further object of my invention to pro- Vide a self-contained device initially produced as an article of manufacture to be sold over the counter and which can be readily attached to and detached from any well-known speedometer and the cable leading thereto, in other words, readily interposed in the line between the speedometer and the cable and, when interposed, so arranged and designed to produce a sound warning alarm to the driver of the machine to which the speedometer is attached when it has attained a predetermined speed.

It is its further object to provide such a device which is inexpensive and can be readily attached and detached by unskilled hands to an already existing speedometer and cable without the use of tools and without in anywise modifying or reorganizing th speedometer or cable.

The above and other objects and advantages will become apparent from a detailed description of the accompanying drawing in which I have illustrated a device embodying a preferred form of my invention as well as a modification thereof, but the constructions shown are to be understood as illustrative only and not as defining the limits of my invention.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of an automobile instrument panel, showing a wellknown speedometer in outline and a well-known speedometer cable with a preferred form of my device interposed between the cable and the speedometer.

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section taken substantially on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section taken substantially on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 44 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view showing a modified form, and Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view showing further modification.

Referring more in detail to the drawing, the reference numeral ll! indicates a panel or instrument board of an automobile or other machine. On the standard make of automobiles and the like, there is mounted on such instrument or panel board a speedometer I i. As these speedometers are of well-known construction and well-known in the art, it is not deemed necessary to give a detailed description thereof except to say that in most of the standard. speedometer casings there is provided an interiorly screw-threaded female socket [2 for receiving an exteriorly screw-threaded male socket I3 which is fixed to the speedometer cable tube I4. Within the tube is a flexible driving shaft which leads to a'gear driven by one of the ground wheels not shown.

My invention which consists of a self-scontained, light, inexpensive sound alarm unit, is interposed preferably between the socket l2 on the speedometer and the socket l3 on the cable tube. In the preferred form, my self-contained sound alarm unit consists of a casingpreferably constructed of plastic material and formed in two complementary sections which, when put together, form a housing IS with an exteriorly screw-threaded reduced neck It on one end and an interiorly screw-threaded reduced neck I! on the opposite end. These complementary sections are secured together by any suitable means. In the preferred form shown by means of resilient bands l8 which are clamped around the reduced portions by means of the screw best shown in Fig. 4.

The reduced portions or necks of the housing I are provided with suitable bearing or journals as best shown in Fig. 2 in which is rotatably mounted a shaft l9. This shaft is at one end, by any suitable means, adapted to be readily connected with the speedometer mechanism and, its opposite end, to the flexible driving shaft, as bestshown in Fig. 2.

On the shaft [9 is a fixed collar 20 positioned in the annular groove 2| of the neck I! to prevent longitudinal movement of the shaft l9 and maintain it in proper longitudinal position.

Within the enlarged portion of the housing 55, there is transversely and slidably mounted in the shaft I9 an actuating member which is caused to actuate under centrifugal force.

In the preferred form shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 5, this member consists of a weighted head or contact member 22 having fixed thereto a spindle or shaft 23 which loosely extends through a transverse hole or bore in the shaft l9 and through a compression coiled spring 24 and a washer or ring 25 which is keyed to the spindle 23 for the punpose of retaining the compression spring in its proper position on the spindle between the shaft l9 and the ring or washer 25.

This spring in the particular form shown is so arranged and adjusted that when the shaft 19 is operating at about 583 R. P. M. (the speed it will turn when the automobile to which it is attached is driving at about 35 miles per hour) the head 22 is thrown out away from the shaft due to the centrifugal force set up, and compresses the spring sufiiciently to allow the head 22 to contact a sound alarm or sound knocker. The sound set up thereby immediately warns the driver that he has attained the speed for which the device is set, regardless of Whether he has been Watching the speedometer or giving it any attention. The sound knocker shown in Fig. 3 consists of a head 3| to which is. fixed a plunger or spindle 32 loosely extending through an opening in the housing l5, the lower end of this plunger or spindle being beveled. Mounted on the opposite end of this plunger or spindle is a compression spring 33 as best shown in Fig. 3, and so arranged that when the shaft l9 has attained the predetermined speed, the beveled end 22 strikes the beveled end on the spindle 32, forcing the spindle outwardly against the compression spring 33. The instant the head 22 passes the beveled end of the spindle 32, the compression spring forces the head 3! back against the outer surface of the housing l5, thus setting up a distinct sound alarm. The noise alarm or knocker member in the form shown in Figure 5 consists of a U-shaped member 26 pivotally mounted by means of a pin 21 in the housing l5. One arm 28 of this member 25 is positioned within the housing and the opposite arm 29 outside the housing. When the car hasv reached the predetermined speed the head 22 vibrates against the arm 28 causing the arm 26 to rock back and forth rapidly and violently setting up a sound alarm by knocking on the inside of the housing i5.

Mounted on the pin 21 is a coil spring 30' having one end engaging the arm 28 for constantly returning the member 26 and its arms to the position shown in Fig. 5.

In the form shown in Fig. 6, th interior of the housing is provided with a metal ring having ridges or corrugations 34 extending around its interior surface. In this form, when the shaft H! has attained the predetermined speed, the beveled head is thrown out by centrifugal force sufficiently to strike the ridges 34, as best shown in dotted line and Fig. 6, thus producing a sound alarm.

The completed device, regardless of which form of sound alarm or knocker utilized, is initially made at the factory as a complete unit, and forms an attachment which can be sold over the counter at a nominal price and can be readily attached and detached by unskilled hands and without the use of any tools to the well-known type of speedometer installation now currently used in motor driven vehicles by merely interposing the attachment between the speedometer and the tubing of the flexible cable. Of course, it is understood that when the attachment is initially manufactured, the exteriorly screwthreaded neck I6 will be made the proper size to fit the screw-threaded socket 12 on the speedometer, and the interior screw-threaded neck ll of the proper size to receive the screw-threaded end of the tubing for which the attachment is designed. It probably will not require over three or four different sizes to fit the different speedometers and tubings currently in use.

In describing the present case, I have had in mind and I have designed the centrifugal operated member to set up the sound alarm when the shaft 19' has attained the speed of about 35 miles per hour. However, it will be understood that by utilizing weaker or stronger compression springs,,the device can be readily made to set up the sound alarm at varying speeds either above.

or below 35 miles per hour.

Having thus described my invention, I claim;

As an article of manufacture, a self-contained, sound alarm attachment adapted to be directly connected at one side to a speedometer casing, and at the opposite side directly to aplugof. a speedometer cable tubing, comprising in combination a cylindrical casing integrally provided on one side with an exteriorly screw-threaded extension to be screwed directly into an interiorly threaded speedometer socket, and on the opposite side with an interiorly screwthreaded extension to receive an exteriorly screw-threaded cable tube plug; an enlarged interior cylindrical chamber in said casing intermediate said extension, aligned shaft bearings in said extensions, a shaft rotatably mounted in said bearings, an annular chamber formed in one of said extensions, a collarv fixed to said shaft and mounted in said annular chamber, a reciprocatory knocker mounted to knock on the exterior of said casing, having a part thereof extending through said casing into its interior enlarged chamber, said knocker being provided with a spring for maintaining it in normal position, an actuating member mounted on said shaft in said enlarged chamber adapted,,when the shaft is operated at sufficient speed, to actuate said knocker, and adjustable springmeans for preventing said actuating means to operate said knocker until a predetermined speed of said shaft has been reached, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

JOHN R. BAYSTON. 

